Polarstern Antarctic Expeditions: Surface Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry

Surface underway data from the RV Polarstern and NOAA Ship Malcolm Baldrige document oceanic carbon cycling across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans from 1991 to 1994. The dataset includes measurements of the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in air and water, dissolved inorganic carbon, chlorophyll, nutrients, salinity, and temperature. These observations were collected during multiple scientific cruises using carbon dioxide gas analyzers and equilibrators.

Use Cases

• Calculating air-sea CO2 flux based on partial pressure measurements and wind speed.
• Analyzing nutrient-phytoplankton dynamics using nitrate, phosphate, silicate, and chlorophyll data.
• Assessing ocean acidification drivers by examining dissolved inorganic carbon and related parameters.
• Validating ocean carbon cycle models with in-situ pCO2 and DIC time-series data.

Strengths

• Covers a wide geographic scope including the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
• Includes a detailed suite of co-located biological, chemical, and physical variables.
• Data originates from multiple, well-documented scientific research cruises.

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are not provided in the source metadata.
• Conflicting last-updated dates exist between platforms (1994 vs. 2026), suggesting potential metadata inconsistencies.
• Dataset size and row counts are unknown, limiting assessment of data volume.

Provenance

Source

US DOC; NOAA; OAR; Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory; University of East Anglia; School of Environmental Sciences

Collection Method

Surface underway observations using Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer and Shower head chamber equilibrator.

Time Range

1991-12-04 to 1994-09-25

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:27:23.202737

Geography

English Channel, North Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, Banda Sea, Celebes Sea, Indian Ocean, Java Sea, Molucca Sea, North Pacific Ocean, South China Sea (Nan Hai), South Pacific Ocean